Late Night Apologies
by MasterFirebender84
Summary: Thinking back on recent events involving Hiroshi Sato, Mako acknowledges the sad fact of his own unfairness & insensitivity towards Korra, his bitterness that had nearly ended their friendship, & seeks out Korra for her forgiveness in the dead of night.


Alright, this is a little tidbit I wrote up after Episode 7. I have to leave for work soon, so I'm just going to keep this brief. Enjoy and review!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender". The show and its characters belong to Mike and Bryan, the brillant geniuses behind one of the greatest cartoon shows in the history of cartoons. Their work is legendary, and I salute them for it. I also do not own "The Legend of Korra" or any of the characters associated with it. I am merely a fanboy with a passionate love for this series.

**Late Night Apologies**

Mako tossed and turned in his bed, finding it impossible to sleep with Bolin's monstrous snoring emanating from the other side of the room and with endless thoughts tumbling through his restless mind. It was as if the universe itself was forcing him to stay awake until he figured out the reason for his insomnia. Lying on his back, Mako stared up at the ceiling with an irritated expression, working to still his rampant thoughts so that he could finally get some sleep. Something was bothering him, that much he knew, but he was stumped as to _what_ was bothering him.

Closing his eyes as he attempted to clear his mind, Mako suddenly found two crystalline cyan eyes staring back at him from the darkness, forcing him to suddenly gasp as he snapped his eyes open. He instantly recognized the eyes he had seen: they were Korra's eyes.

Mako tightly gripped his sheets, twisting the fabric in his fingers as his thoughts began to consist of nothing but Korra. The young Avatar had recently suspected his girlfriend's father, Hiroshi Sato, of conspiring with the Equalists and supplying them with advanced technology. Of course, Mako had immediately jumped to the defense of Hiroshi - and Asami, subsequently. He had been appalled and angered by Korra's invasive actions against the same man who had given them the opportunity to participate in the Probending tournament and had allowed both him and his brother to stay at his mansion even though his daughter didn't ask for his permission first.

However, that was before he learned the truth about Hiroshi, how he harbored a growing hatred and resentment towards benders because of what happened to his wife so long ago. Korra's suspicions had turned out to be correct, leading to him apologizing for not believing her when she thought Hiroshi was working for the Equalists.

Even now, his harsh, grating words towards her scraped at the back of his mind, forever reminding him of his mistake:

_Why are you doing this? Are you _that_jealous of me and Asami?_

_If you don't drop this, consider our friendship over._

His protective emotions had clouded his mind at the time, preventing him from seeing the folly that he was committing. He had unflinchingly threatened to terminate their friendship just because her duties as the Avatar led her to head an investigation against his girlfriend's father. He had also seen the investigation as an attack on his relationship with Asami. He had taken things too far with his threat, and only now was he beginning to feel the repercussions of his actions.

Mako heavily sighed as he let his eyes drift to the foot of his bed, guilt eating away at his troubled heart, knowing that he still had a long way to go in terms of making things up to Korra. She had offered both him and Bolin a place to stay at the Air Temple when the Arena was shut down, and after the Sato mansion raid, she even allowed Asami to stay with them as well. She deserved so much more gratitude for her selflessness, and all he had done was act bitter and cruel towards her for doing what her Avatar duties required her to do; not even his apology to her on the airship was enough to settle his agitated unrest.

He knew that he had made a mistake, and he fully intended to make up for that mistake. The last thing he needed was for Korra to hate him for the things he had said back at Future Industries.

Opening his eyes, Mako flipped the sheets off of his body, letting them fall to the foot of the bed as he swung his legs over the side. He planted his feet on the floor as he stood up. Carefully tiptoeing his way to the bedroom door, Mako quietly slipped out into the hall, closing the door behind him before silently making his way towards Korra's room.

When he reached Korra's room, he lightly knocked on the door, softly calling out, "Korra? You awake?" Hearing no reply, he began to slide the door open as he said, "I need to talk-" The door was just open enough for him to peek into Korra's room, only to discover that the Avatar and her Polar Bear-Dog were missing. "She must be outside," concluded Mako as he closed the door to Korra's room. He knew that noticing an animal as big as Naga inside the house wasn't that hard, and that the absence of said Polar Bear-Dog meant that Korra must have taken her outside.

Mako stealthily made his way to the front door, wordlessly slipping through the portal and into the chilling ambiance of the night outside. The frigid night air nipped at Mako's exposed skin like a million razor-sharp needles, making him shiver as he moved his scarf up to cover his mouth. He returned his hands to his pockets as he began to walk around the grounds of the Air Temple. "Why couldn't she just be in her room?" he grumpily grumbled to himself as he stoked his inner fire in order to stave off the cold. "It would have made things so much easier for me."

Continuing to walk around the Air Temple, Mako lit a fireball in his left hand to light the way, preventing him from stumbling on anything hidden in the darkness. Soon, he found himself at the large training courtyard with the Yin-Yang symbol etched into the center. He saw Naga lying in the center of the courtyard, curled up around a human form he couldn't quite make out in the low light. He figured that it was Korra that Naga was curled up around, but to be sure, he made his way closer towards the Polar Bear-Dog.

As he came within ten feet of Naga, the large beast lifted her head up and looked towards him. She snarled slightly at the presence of an unexpected intruder coming near her master. Feeling his panicking heart suddenly leap into his throat, Mako stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide with fear as Naga continued to snarl and growl at him. The figure Naga was curled around sat up and looked in Mako's direction, and in the light emitted by his flame, Mako recognized that the figure was Korra, who was dressed in her winter parka.

"Easy, Naga," soothed Korra, reaching up with her hands to Naga's head and scratching behind the animal's ears, "it's just Mako. You can trust him, girl. Now calm down." Ceasing her snarling, Naga began to pant under Korra's affectionate scratches. She lowered her head back down to the ground and closed her eyes as Korra warmly smile at her beloved companion, continuing to scratch Naga's ears as she looked up at Mako and apologetically said, "Sorry about that. Naga just gets really protective whenever it's nighttime, so she tends to snarl at anyone who comes close unless she's really familiar with them. Back home in the South Pole, she never snarled at Katara or any of the White Lotus members because she was around them so often."

"So I'm guessing Naga doesn't like me yet?" glumly questioned Mako from behind his scarf, right hand still in his pocket and left hand held up at his side. His fingers continued to caress the fireball floating just above his left palm.

Korra amusedly chuckled, petting Naga's head as she said, "I guess you could say that." Resting her cheek against Naga's head in a loving manner, letting herself relax against Naga's fur, she added, "Just give it some time, Mako. She'll get used to you, and when she does, you'll be getting lots of sloppy kisses from her."

"Gee, can't wait for that," dryly replied Mako, rolling his eyes in a sardonic manner as Korra chuckled again. Her merriment carried over to his ears and resonated inside of his very being. Looking back down at Korra as she closed her eyes, happily humming as she continued to pet Naga, he asked, "Do you mind if I join you? I need to talk to you about something."

Korra opened her eyes and looked up at Mako, her eyes full of surprise and wariness. Nevertheless, she nodded and said, "Sure. Go ahead and sit next to me."

"Thanks," gratefully said Mako, moving over towards Naga and making his way to a spot next to Korra. He settled himself against the Polar Bear-Dog's body as he contentedly sighed, the fireball still burning in his left hand as Korra looked over at him with a curious expression. "What are you doing out here, anyway?" he inquired of her as he looked over at her, pulling down his scarf from his mouth. "It's freezing out here!"

"The cold helps me to relax," nonchalantly shrugged Korra, leaning back and resting herself against Naga's body as she casually folded her arms behind her head. "It helps me to remind myself of home and how I'd sit outside with Naga and look up at the stars, wondering where my lifetime as the Avatar would take me."

"That's some pretty deep stuff," admirably commended Mako, genuine amazement in his tone. "I never really pegged you as being a deep thinker, Korra."

"Nah," agreed Korra with a sly smirk, "I'm more into just bashing Equalists and using my bending to the best of my abilities." Mako glanced away from her, shame clearly filling his eyes as Korra's smirk fell. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" asked Korra, leaning forward and moving her arms from behind her head so that they rested in her lap. She looked at Mako with a concerned expression, wondering what was bothering the Firebender so much that he'd seek her out like this.

Mako was silent for a few moments, gathering up his resolve and courage before he allowed himself to look back at Korra. "I want to apologize to you."

Korra raised a perplexed eyebrow, dubiously pouting as she asked, "Didn't you already apologize to me on the airship for not believing me about Hiroshi being an Equalist?"

"What I'm apologizing for now is something completely different," explained Mako. Her question satisfied, Korra's eyebrow fell back to its normal position. Her lips released the pout she had held when she had questioned him. "Look," began Mako, briefly glancing down at the ground before looking back up at Korra, "I'm sorry for what I said back at Future Industries, about me thinking that you were leading the investigation against Hiroshi because you were jealous of me and Asami, and I'm also sorry that I threatened to end our friendship if you didn't drop the investigation."

Korra heavily sighed as she quietly said, "Mako, it's fine-"

"It's not fine, Korra," quickly interjected Mako, making Korra's eyes widen slightly at the suddenness of his interruption. "I just…I need to tell you why I said those things. I'm not going to be able to get any sleep unless I tell you the whole truth." A soft, pleading look overcame his face, his eyes silently begging her for him to continue. "Please, Korra…" he beseechingly said. "I need to do this."

Empathy washed over Korra as she piteously stared at Mako. She knew that he wouldn't be this earnest unless he was completely bent on accomplishing what he set out to do. "Alright," she gently relented, relaxing her shoulders and letting them droop downward as she waited for Mako to begin explaining himself.

Looking at the fireball in his left hand, Mako said, "When I asked you if you were heading the investigation against Hiroshi because you were jealous of me and Asami, I thought it was because you trying to get back at me for messing with your feelings when we…you know…" He briefly glanced back at her before his gaze fell down to Naga's head, disgrace clearly written on his sharp face.

"Mako, I thought we agreed to put our feelings for each other behind us after that happened," stated Korra, her heart aching with unbearable pain as she remembered that tumultuous time when things between her and the brothers were so out-of-control and chaotic. "I didn't go after Hiroshi because I was jealous of you and Asami; I was only doing my duty as the Avatar. I don't know why it was so hard for you to see that."

"I guess I just blinded by my own emotions back then," admitted Mako, looking back up at Korra, his eyes gleaming in the light from his fireball. "At the time, I really respected Hiroshi. He gave our team a chance to fight in the Probending tournament so that we had a shot at the prize money. If we had won the tournament, Bolin and I could have used the prize money to build a better life for ourselves. Even after we lost the tournament, Hiroshi allowed the two of us to stay with him when the Arena was shut down so that we didn't have to live on the streets again."

Korra glanced down at Naga's head, a sullen frown taking hold of her lips. She remembered how hurt she had been when she discovered that despite her going out of her way to make sure the two brothers had a place to stay on Air Temple Island, they had already taken Asami's offer to live with her. They had never even considered Korra's offer to live with her at the Air Temple.

"Korra," said Mako, noticing the wounded look on the Avatar's face, "I know you had already made arrangements with Tenzin for us to live with you at the Air Temple. It's just…Asami made the offer for us to live with her first, so that's the one we took. It was nothing against you, honestly."

"It's alright, Mako," assured Korra, looking back up at Mako with a small smile. A long moment of silence passed between the two of them, the only sounds being Naga's heavy breathing and the occasional crackle from Mako's flame.

"Anyways," continued Mako, gathering himself up again, "I was just trying to defend Hiroshi because I thought that you didn't have enough evidence to call him out on being an Equalist."

"I had a hunch and I acted on it," countered Korra. "That's just how I am." With a smug smirk, she teasingly added, "And most of the time, my hunches turn out to be right."

Ignoring Korra's playful jab, Mako said, "And…I was also trying to defend Asami from you. I care a lot about her, Korra. When you went after Hiroshi, it felt to me like you were going after Asami as well."

"There's no way I'd ever go after Asami like that," retorted Korra. "When I hung out with you guys at her mansion, I found out that she was actually a pretty cool person. I never suspected Asami of being an Equalist, did I?"

Mako considered Korra's point, recalling that she never did once accuse Asami of being in cahoots with her supposedly-Equalist father. "Huh," he grunted in realization, "you actually do have a point. You never did call Asami an Equalist."

"See?" sincerely smiled Korra. "I really do like her, Mako, and I'm happy you care so much about her that you would even defend her against _me_, the Avatar." Chuckling as she jokingly punched his shoulder, she added, "That takes some guts, man." Mako appreciatively smiled at Korra's praise, an amiable smile plastering itself on Korra's face as well.

Thinking back to their conversation on the airship, Mako said, "Korra, I'm really glad that you accepted my relationship with Asami. It means a lot to me."

"It's no big deal, really," shrugged Korra, looking back down at Naga's head as she lightly scratched behind the Polar Bear-Dog's floppy ear. Glancing back up at Mako, she added, "Like I said, after everything she's been through, she's going to need you. If there's anyone who can comfort her after what happened with her father, it's you. No one cares more about her than you do, and it's up to you to make her happy again."

Mako smiled during her little speech, obviously touched by her words. However, each and every word that she spoke stabbed an ice-cold spike of despair deeper and deeper into her battered heart. She still had feelings for Mako, but she had chosen to let him go so that he could fully comfort Asami. It still pained her to see him with Asami, but she knew that Asami needed Mako way more than she could ever need him.

When Korra was finished speaking, Mako's smile fell as he said, "Like I said before, I'm sorry for threatening to end our friendship if you didn't drop your investigation against Hiroshi. I was just really angry with you at the time, and I was defending both Hiroshi and Asami with everything I had."

"Don't worry about it," kindly assured Korra with a tender smile. "We all lose control of our emotions sometimes, Mako. We all make mistakes."

"Well," firmly said Mako, his face hardening with sternness and rigidity, "if there's one mistake I never want to make, it's losing you as a friend." Despite herself, a furious blush conquered Korra's cheeks, quickly averting her eyes from him and letting her gaze fall back to Naga's head. She smoothly petted the animal's head in an attempt to calm her racing heart, though it didn't seem to be working. "Bo and I need you right now, Korra. We all have to stick together if we want to survive this Equalist Revolution." His face unstiffening itself, he added, "Plus…I don't want to be the reason why I lose you as a friend." Holding out his right hand in front of him, as if to accept a handshake, he hopefully asked, "Still friends?"

Korra glanced back at Mako's hand, letting her eyes settle briefly on his gloved hand before she moved her gaze up to Mako's eyes. Both his sharp face and piercing eyes were filled with nothing but sincerity and genuine honesty. He truly was sorry for the things he had done to her, and he really did want to make it up to her by affirming their mutual friendship. Letting a cordial smile take hold of her lips, she reached over and firmly grasped Mako's hand. She shook his hand as she amiably said, "Still friends."

Mako let out a relieved sigh as they let go of each other's hand, breathlessly saying, "I can't thank you enough for this, Korra. I promise that I'll make this up to you."

"Just keep on being my friend, City Boy," said Korra, placing a hand on his shoulder, letting her smile grow ever larger. "That's all I want for the two of us right now: to just be friends." Patting Mako's shoulder, she added, "Go ahead and get some sleep, Mako. We've all had a pretty rough day."

"No kidding," agreed Mako as he stood up, brushing himself with his free hand. "Good night, Korra," he said to her as he walked off, fireball still in hand as he began to make his way back towards Tenzin's house.

"Night, Mako," said Korra as she watched him go, eyes fixated on his every movement. Suddenly thinking of something, she hastily called out, "Hold up a minute, Mako!" Seeing the Firebender stop and look back towards her with a confused expression, she said, "If you want some time alone with Asami" – she pointed off to her left – "there's a small cove at the base of the cliff that you could take her to." Dropping her hand back into her lap, she added, "Just thought you should know."

At first, Mako was astounded at Korra's willingness to aid him in his quest to make Asami feel better. However, he soon found himself smiling back at the Avatar, nodding as he said, "I appreciate the tip, Korra."

"Anytime, _lover boy_," teased Korra with a jesting wink as she waved her good bye to Mako, who embarrassedly covered up his mouth with his scarf as his pale cheeks tinted crimson. The Firebender quickly turned around and power-walked his way back to the house. As soon as Mako was out of sight, Korra grossly gagged, filled with disgust as she muttered, "Ugh, I can't _believe_ I just said that." Recomposing herself, she leaned back against Naga, smiling to herself as she said, "But you know what, Naga? I'm glad he apologized to me." Feeling her drowsiness begin to make her eyelids flutter closed, she sleepily murmured, "He really is a good guy…"

The Avatar finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep, a glad smile still imbued on her face. Her heart was filled with happiness, knowing that she still had Mako as one of her few friends in Republic City. Somewhere, deep inside her everlasting soul, she secretly hoped, and wished, that she would never lose Mako as a friend. Somehow, she knew that that secret hope of hers would never die, and that she would always have Mako as a friend.


End file.
